A Second War Begins
by Mama Skree
Summary: Short Story. The emergence of Lieutenant Commander Kymberli Rzepka, who comes back to the station to help Kira and the resistance take back the station from the Dominion. Takes place at the end of the episode "Sacrifice of Angels," through beginning of "You Are Cordially Invited." Original content quoted with credit.


_"A week? Are you sure about that?"_

_"That's what he said. Believe me, this was no idle boast." _

_Kira and Quark chatted quietly on the far corner of the bar. Several Cardassian troops surrounded them as Quark looked around for any eavesdroppers. A look of disbelief came over Kira's face when Quark told her of the plan for the Dominion to take down the minefield which protected the wormhole from incoming troops from the Gamma Quadrant. _

_"We have to stop them." Kira's eyes diverted to the table and back up to Quark's face as she started to think of a plan to stop the Dominion from taking down the minefield. _

_"And end up in a holding cell, like my brother? No, thanks." Quark declared, pouring another drink and looking around casually. "If we could only get to Odo. Make him see what's going on. Then maybe he could help us.' _

_"Forget about Odo," Kira hissed quietly. "First, we can't get to him. Second, even if we did, he wouldn't help us." Kira thought about Odo and his newfound relationship with the Founder – the woman founder – aboard the station. Odo had not seen anyone in three days and left explicit instructions for no one to bother him. Without Odo or Rom to help, Kira knew they were short on manpower. She couldn't think of anyone else who had enough knowledge of station's operations that would be willing to join the rebellion. _

_"Then what we have to do is warn Starfleet." Quark leaned in close to drive his point home. His frustration was mounting as he knew they were running out of options. _

_"And how to you suggest we get a message to them?" Kira hissed back. _

_"You're asking me? You're the terrorist. I'm just a bartender." Quark conceded. Kira's temper flared just as Jake Sisko appeared to her left, looking rather satisfied.. _

_"There you are," Jake interjected, leaning on the bartop beside Kira. She kept her eyes diverted from him, wallowing in her own disappointment and suppressing her temper. "From the look on your faces, I can tell you haven't had much luck getting Rom out of jail." _

_"And the news just keeps getting worse," Quark quietly admitted, sounding more dejected. Jake let out a small chuckle as he thought about his success that morning. _

_"It's not all bad," Jake said lightheartedly, trying to make a little light of the situation. Kira remained straight-faced, her head throbbing under the stress. Her voice remained emotionless and dry as she spoke again. _

_"Trust us, Jake. It is."_

_"Not for me," Jake said with another chuckle. "I'm getting a message out to my dad." _

_"How?" Kira quietly snapped back at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _

_"I'm a reporter, I have my ways," Jake happily sang, thinking he was ahead of the game and the luckiest person at the bar. _

_"Come on Jake. This is no time for games," Kira snapped again, letting her temper emerge just a little. Jake turned his head to face a Lurian sitting at the bar and pointed his thumb in the same direction. The Lurian's freckled, mole-covered head was caressed with a very sparse layer of fuzz. He sat quietly, sipping a drink. _

_Kira slowly looked behind her at the Lurian, then back in the direction as Jake. _

_"Morn?"_

_"He's going home for his mother's birthday or something. He has an encrypted message for my dad in one of her presents." Jake concluded. A message going to Starbase 375? Suddenly, Kira knew both how to get a message to Starfleet and how to get another experienced person to join the rebellion. _

_-DS9 Episode "Sacrifice of Angels." S6, E6. November 1997_

* * *

The promenade smelled familiar – of incense and liquor. Lieutenant Commander Kymberli Rzepka looked around the brightly lit commerce and industrial deck of Deep Space Nine as she stepped out of the circular airlock doorway and onto the crowded thoroughfare. Happy to be back, terrified at the situation before her. A loud, deep voice rattled her ears from behind her before she sensed his presence.

"Have you registered in?"

The young woman quickly turned around on her heel, her green dress spinning around her legs. A tall Cardassian with a gold-colored padd in his hand stared at her, looked her up and down, and asked his question again. "Well, have you?"

"Yes," Rzepka confidently replied, feeling her nervousness returning and her hands starting to tremble. People walked quickly past her and the Cardassian, who was not satisfied with her answer. His dark gray uniform seemed stiff as it stretched around his wide neckline, encircling his shoulders like plated armor. The man stood tall, probably an entire foot taller than Commander Rzepka, and his skin was gray and lifeless with dark hair circling his head. In the center of his forehead rested an upside-down tear drop shaped indention. Rzepka recalled hearing the term "spoonhead" once or twice at the Academy, from cadets referring to Cardassians. Along the sides of his neck were scale-like shapes, all the way down to his shoulders and up the sides of his face and down through the bottoms of his ears. The scales encircled his eyes, stretching upward on each side of his forehead. It had been a very long time since Rzepka was face-to-face with a Cardassian – even Elim Garak, who lived on the station. During the ten months she had served aboard Deep Space Nine, the young officer had only run into Garak a handful of times.

"What is your name and what is your business here? You are not part of the supply unit."

It was true. The supply transport she had arrived on from Bajor was full of Bajoran commissioned individuals; she appeared to be the only civilian. Luckily, her disguise as a Bajoran woman worked well. She drew a deep breath and tried to calm down.

She thought about the message she received from Major Kira four days ago. Morn, a Lurian courier who lived aboard the station, tracked her to her home world of Betazed and delivered an encrypted message from Kira.

_Emergency. Need your help. Disguise as non-Federation and come now._

"Akorem Tarel. And to whom am_ I_ speaking?" Rzepka tried to stall while she thought of a reason she was on the station. She hadn't thought of a very good cover to go with her new physical identity and her new name. She had smuggled herself aboard the station under disguise as a Bajoran woman to help Major Kira with the rebellion aboard Deep Space Nine. The Federation had been pushed out of the station by the Dominion, leaving Bajoran civilians and officers surrounded by Dominion personnel.

Since Rzepka had been away on Betazed on personal business, she was available to return without too much suspicion. Kira explained the situation aboard the station and although Rzepka was under strict orders to remain at the Embassy on Betazed, she left without permission and had just completed her three day journey to the Bajor, then boarded a supply transport to the station.

"I am Almar, station security. I ask again, what is your business here?"

"My sister called for me. She lives here and is wishing for companionship. I got on the first transport that had room for me." Rzepka reported. She felt strange lying, but she knew the Cardassian believed her. He stared at her with icy eyes for what seemed like forever before he spoke again.

"Very well. Get moving then."

She nodded at the Cardassian and brushed past him. She never did like Cardassians very much – they all seemed much too arrogant and proud.

She ambled along, admiring the green, yellow, and purple flags flying over the promenade for a few moments before she walked into Quark's bar. The Ferengi bartender seemed busy behind the counter, but paused when he saw her. Without the ability to read his thoughts, Rzepka couldn't decide whether he recognized her or not. The red and yellow lights in the bar cast an eerie glow on the customers, who were buzzing with conversation among themselves. Several Cardassians were assembled at a large table to the left of the doorway in which Rzepka stood.

"Welcome to Quarks, friend," Quark shouted from the behind the noisy bar, finally sending a smile in Rzepka's direction. "Come, have a seat."

Rzepka floated gracefully to a seat on the far end of the bar, away from the door. To her left, she noticed a small group of Jem'Hadar soldiers sitting around a table. Their uniforms were gray as well, along with their skin. The small spikes surrounding their jaw lines sent shivers up her spine. The black rat-tail of a hairpiece on the backs of their heads was strange and creepy. She had never seen a Jem'Hadar up close before and they were far more frightening in real life than on a view screen.

"A drink for you?"

Rzepka's head shot up from her concentration bubble to see Quark standing in front of her, towel in hand, mopping the bar top.

"Spring wine, please." Rzepka replied quietly. Within a few more seconds, Quark returned with the drink, setting it down quickly but gently in front of Rzepka. He leaned in as if he was flirting with her, but spoke only business.

"Kira's been waiting for you. About time you arrived." His toothy grin flashed as if he were making advances to her. _A cover up and a good one,_ Rzepka thought. She decided to play along. Reaching up to stroke his large earlobe, she also flashed a smile.

"It's a three day journey, plus a day for disguise planning. I came a quickly as I could. How long until the mines come down?" She softened her eyes as Quark also played along, letting out a small sigh and a quiet moan.

"Seven hours. You're cutting it close," he whispered in her ear. "She'll be here any moment."

"I'll wait," she whispered back, pushing him away gently and smiling at him. She was excited to see Kira again and to hear the plan to take down the minefield. She knew the situation was serious and was nervous about the outcome. As if on cue, Rzepka sensed Kira's presence and looked up to see her enter the doorway. Jake Sisko wasn't far behind her, followed by Leeta, a Bajoran Dabo girl. Jake and Leeta retreated to a table by the door of the bar; Kira walked straight to Rzepka's seated position and sat down quietly next to her.

"Akorem Tarel, just arrived on the station. Nice to see you, Major," Rzepka said, taking a casual sip of her wine and not making eye contact with Kira. She ordered a cup of tea and looked down at her folded hands.

"Nice to see you, too. Have a good trip?" Kira's voice was a song to Rzepka's ears. She immediately sensed Kira's discontent with the situation.

"Took a little longer than I would have liked," Rzepka said quietly back. "What can I do?"

"We are disabling the anti-graviton beam this afternoon to prevent the mine field from going down. I'm setting a bomb in the central core. I need you to take out the auxiliary power controls. Before the bomb goes off."

"What time?" Rzepka's voice was so hushed, she could barely hear herself. She was terrified of being overheard.

"1500. I need auxiliary power disabled by 1445."

The commander didn't need any other reassurance. She knew exactly what to do to get the auxiliary power offline; she didn't know how she would get past all of the guards to get to the junction. She nodded at the Major, finished her last few drops of spring wine, and rose from her chair. She walked out of the bar quietly and without another word. Kira wanted to keep this situation as quiet as possible for obvious reasons – if they were caught, the Dominion would execute them. As Commander Rzepka turned her head to look out into the promenade, she felt the silver earring dangling from her right lobe. A sense of fear and nervousness came over her again and she suddenly found herself wondering what she was doing here.

She knew Rom, the Ferengi conspirator and Quark's brother, was in a holding cell. He had been taken into custody thirteen days prior for committing espionage against the Dominion. With Rom out of the picture, she knew Kira desperately needed her help with the operation.

As she ambled along the promenade, stopping periodically to browse in the few shops that remained open during the Dominion invasion. Less than seven hours. That's how long she had to think of a way past the guards. Kira trusted her to carry out the mission.

As she walked, she got an idea. The auxiliary power grid was directly below the holosuites, two decks down. She could cut a hole in the floor to access the below deck, letting her crawl through the tubes to reach the power grid. If someone came in or she was interrupted, she could program the computer to replicate a hologram over the hole to hide her work.

Just like a classic prison break. Except with a bulkhead saw, not a spoon.

* * *

Quark stood in disbelief as the Cardassian guards and Legate Damar led Kira, Jake, and Leeta out of the bar. Did they know about the plans to bomb the central core? How did they find out? Most importantly – how was the plan going to work with no one to carry it out?

Amid his confusion and terror, Commander Rzepka appeared in front of him at the bar again, looking equally confused and worried.

"What was that about?" she asked quickly, motioning with her head toward the door.

"Something very bad, I'm sure," Quark said. "I guarantee they will be seeing a holding cell before lunchtime."

"They can't go to a holding cell!" Rzepka hissed. "For Christ's sake, what about the plan?"

"I think," Quark said slowly and quietly as he looked around the bar. "It's time for a new plan."

Rzepka sat at the bar quietly as Quark brought her a glass of water. She thought about the stakes of the station, which she knew Kira would be willing to risk anything. However, without the man power of the entire rebellion team, the commander knew there was a slim chance of getting anything accomplished.

That left only one option. They had to get Kira and the others out of the holding cell.

"Quark," Rzepka hissed. "Come here."

Quark poured another few drinks before ambling over to the lieutenant. "Yes?"

"We need to get them out," Rzepka said quietly. "You need to help."

"Well, that sounds easier than it probably is," Quark said, brushing off the thought and going back to pouring drinks.

"Quark!" Rzepka hissed again. "I did NOT come all this way to be defeated. I have an idea. Meet me upstairs in twenty minutes."

Several hours later, Lieutenant Commander Rzepka thought about the prison break that was undoubtedly going on at that very moment. She had since locked herself inside holosuite 4 with a bulkhead saw, a tricorder, and a comm. badge. Sitting in the middle of the room, she looked up at the green and white holoemitters, buzzing in response to replicating a holographic floor, covering the hole she had just finished crafting. Quark had since agreed to utilize the help of Tora Ziyal, Gul Dukat's daughter, to trick the guard and break out Kira and the others. Rzepka thought it was a bit of a long shot, but it was really the only chance they had to disarm the station. _If those mines are eliminated…_ she thought to herself, _we're good as dead._

She sat cross-legged on the floor and wondered about her loyalty to this station. Just nine months ago, she despised this place. The moment she stepped foot onto Deep Space Nine, she wanted to leave. She missed her friends on the _Excelsior_, the starship she left before she was reassigned to this mission. Now, the _Excelsior_ was sitting in some ship yard, broken into pieces and her colleagues were spread across the quadrant. Or dead.

Her mother was ill, with terrible timing. She had contracted an aggressive viral disease and was under careful medical treatment back on Betazed. Rzepka's mother was a professor at the University of Betazed and needed help around the house with laundry, cooking, cleaning, and the like. Rzepka had already spent three weeks there before she received the message from Kira to come back to the station. She already missed Betazed.

"Kira to Commander Rzepka."

The comm badge startled her. She reached for it out of her pocket and pressed her thumb on the cold metal.

"Rzepka here."

"We're heading to the central computer core to disarm the main power. With luck, we'll be there in fifteen minutes. Start deactivating the auxiliary power."

"Acknowledged." Rzepka replied. With no hesitation, she dropped the saw and tricorder in the hole first, and then lowered her own body down through the floor. She lowered to the Jeffries tube below and fell to her knees. She didn't sense any presence in the tube, so she continued crawling onward for a few more feet until she realized she was above the auxiliary power core. She aimed the saw at the bulkhead and started cutting.

"O'Brien is going to kill me for this," she mumbled out loud to herself as the floor gave way under the saw, revealing the power core below. Disarming the auxiliary core was a relatively simple task of merely pulling a few relays and flipping a switch. She lowered her body again, coming face-to-face with the power core.

Rzepka quickly pulled the two relays and laid them down on the floor. She sat for a few seconds, wondering if Kira had made it to the main power core yet. As she flipped the power switch, a large, red handle which took all her arm power to flip, she said a little prayer she wouldn't set off any alarms. The power to the console went dark and she sat, still as a statue, holding her breath. Nothing.

Her orders were to hold until she got the notification the main power was cut. If she were to leave the Jeffries tube through the hatch, she would set off an intruder alarm. She had to wait until the power was cut.

She waited for what seemed like forever. She wondered again if Kira had even made it to the central computer core. It was heavily guarded and Rzepka knew it was a risky thing to do. During the eight months she had known Major Kira, she never knew her to give up. She would make it.

The comm badge startled her again.

"Kira to Commander Rzepka. Hold your position. We are disabling the weapons systems first. Repeat, hold your position."

"Acknowledged." Rzepka replied back. She leaned against the bulkhead and took another deep breath. Her worry was growing and her heart was pounding. She said another prayer to no god in particular as she waited a little too impatiently. She crawled the forty feet until she saw the entrance to the external corridor and pulled a phaser from her boot. She lay on her belly on the floor of the tube, pointing the phaser at the door. She sensed several Jem'Hadar troops along with several Cardassians. She knew the internal sensors would be down with the auxiliary power, but she didn't want to take any chances on someone coming to look for her.

Her heart kept pounding so furiously, she thought she could have passed out.

A rumbling noise suddenly met her ears. Her stomach jumped as she thought about what the noise could have been. It sounded like a starship being destroyed. Or, several hundred mines.

_Hold your position,_ she thought to herself. _If you go out that hatch, you'll be dead in a few seconds. _She was scared. So scared, she wanted to run in any direction. Her hands and feet trembled as she maintained her position, still and flat on her belly.

Another fifteen minutes passed before Rzepka decided to take matters into her own hands. She did not sense any individuals outside the hatch now. She thought maybe if she could get out of the hatch and run as fast as she could, perhaps she wouldn't get caught. She rose to her hands and knees, determined to get out of there.

A sudden and violent rock of the station knocked her off her hands and knees moments before she felt searing pain in her hip and side. The weight on her body was practically crushing her. She let out a small scream as she turned her head to look at what was on her.

A bulkhead support had fallen from the wall above her and pinned her to the floor. The support was at least a hundred pounds, and she couldn't move it off her body on her own. The pain in her hip and side was intense, but she knew she needed to get out of there.

"Oh, god," she whispered to herself as she noticed the communicator and tricorder had been left behind at the power junction. Before she could think of another plan, another jolt rocked the station. The sounds of falling metal and collapsing bulkheads flooded Rzepka's ears and she screamed again as she felt herself fall to the level below.

* * *

"Captain," Kira called loudly over the crowd of celebrating officers in Quark's. The _Defiant_ had been back on the station for three hours already and most of the officers were enjoying a drink and a few laughs together.

"Major Kira! Join us!" Captain Sisko said jovially as he picked up his mug from the table. Lieutenant Commander Worf and Constable Odo were both seated with him, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax stood behind Worf and all were wearing smiles.

"I can't right now, but I was wondering if you've seen Commander Rzepka around." Kira replied. The look of worry over her face concerned the captain, who immediately dropped his smile.

"No, I haven't. Have you heard from her since we've been back?" Sisko carefully asked, already thinking the worst. Kira shook her head.

"No, sir. She was on deck fifteen, disarming the auxiliary power. I know there was localized damage there, but with the internal sensors still down, I haven't been able to locate her," Kira explained, already feeling her stomach turning in a knot. She cast a concerned look at Odo, who immediately rose from his chair, followed by Commander Worf.

"I'll get a security team to deck fifteen and search for her," Odo said immediately.

"I will help," Worf piped up. They both immediately took off for the lift to deck fifteen. Kira's stomach was still tied in a knot when she saw them leave and saw Commander Dax sit in Worf's seat.

"They will find her," Dax spoke up. "I'm sure she's fine."

"I gave her hold orders, but I didn't think she would follow so closely," Kira joked. "You're probably right. I'm sure she's fine."

"Who's fine?"

Kira spun around to see Chief Miles O'Brien strolling over to the table with a mug in his hand. He held it up and clinked glasses with the captain then took a swig of synthale and sat down in a vacant chair.

"Commander Rzepka," Kira said hesitantly. She could tell the chief didn't even know she was aboard by the way he seemed startled with surprise.

"Rzepka! I didn't know she was back!" The Chief exclaimed. "Where is she?"

"Kira lost her. Apparently, she gave hold orders without mobilize orders," Dax joked.

"You… lost… her?" O'Brien said with accusation and joke in his voice. "Well, you better find her. She's one of my best engineers. No wonder we can't have anything nice around here." He took a sip of his synthale and laughed along with Dax and Sisko. Kira didn't think his joke was so funny, but smiled anyway. If her fellow officers were making light of the situation, she was sure it was not as serious as she thought.

Rather, she hoped it wasn't as serious as she thought.

"No sign of her, Commander?" Odo was feeling a bit frantic after nearly thirty minutes of searching deck 14. Commander Worf met him from the opposite end of the deck looking grim. They had both searched every bulkhead and Jeffries tube for Commander Rzepka with no luck. Worf quickly shook his head.

"No. I would recommend searching decks 15 and 13, then moving in opposite directions from there," Worf said. "She may have moved to another deck in order to escape the debris."

Odo nodded. "I'll take fifteen, you take thirteen." Both officers nodded and took off in opposite directions with Worf heading for the turbolift. He knew if she was injured, they would need to find her soon. He thought the worst – the reason they weren't getting any life signs on the tricorders could have been because she was dead. He had only known the Commander for ten months, but he knew she would do anything to escape a serious situation. She was very determined. It was not like her to sit around and wait to be rescued if she was trapped.

As the lift doors opened to deck 13, one of the engineering decks, he began scanning as he walked. He walked toward section 4, auxiliary controls, in hopes to find her near there. He noticed the panels were dark, just as predicted. Rzepka had disabled the auxiliary power to prevent the Dominion from using it to fire the weapons.

_A clever plan, indeed,_ he thought to himself as he slowly walked and planned. He knew Major Kira would have completed the task at all costs, but he did not expect Commander Rzepka to be back aboard the station so soon. He knew she had been away. Why did she come back in the middle of an invasion?

A sudden beep emerged from his tricorder. A life sign. He looked up and down the corridor to see if he had company but he was completely alone. He kept walking looking for a nearby hatch to the Jeffries tube and once he found one, he ripped it off the wall. He poked his head into the chamber to find the floor of the tube completely gone. _Odd_, he thought to himself. As he got closer to the hole, he could see the deck below – and two feet in brown boots splayed from under the debris.

He quickly tapped his comm badge.

"Worf to Infirmary! Medical emergency, deck 13, section 4!"

"Worf to Odo, I found her! Deck 13, Section 4!"

Commander Worf scanned the area. She was alive, but barely. He knew he needed to get down there to remove the debris on top of her. He sat on the edge of the hole and carefully placed one foot on the support of the bottom of the Jeffries tube. From there, he scaled down the debris and the wall supports carefully to reach the deck below.

Then he heard her voice.

"Worf."

It was so faint; he could barely make it out.

"Commander Rzepka. I am here. I am going to move the debris. Try to remain still." Worf quickly said. He quickly slung several of the lighter pieces out of the way, and then concentrated on the heavier pieces. He grunted and growled, but was able to move all of the pieces of bulkhead off her just as the medical team and Odo arrived.

"Worf!" Dr. Julian Bashir called. "How do I get down there?"

"You can scale down the debris! To the left!" Worf called back, kneeling down beside Commander Rzepka. He was cautious to touch or move her, but rather spoke softly in an encouraging voice to her.

"Dr. Bashir is coming. We will get you to safety soon," he said. He noticed her body bent in an unnatural position and her eyes wide. She blinked as the pain of every breath swarmed her body. Worf could tell she was very uncomfortable.

"Worf," she whispered again. Her mouth was dry and she had no idea how long she had been lying there. She couldn't feel her legs and it hurt to breathe.

"Yes, Commander?" he asked hurriedly. He looked over to his shoulder as Deep Space Nine's medical officer struggled to climb down the debris pile.

"It's good to see you," Rzepka squeaked out through her dry throat. Worf quickly looked back at her and let a small smile come across his face.

"And you as well. Now, remain quiet and calm."

Dr. Bashir finally reached the floor of the deck and hurried to the commander's crumpled side, tricorder already out. "Commander, try to stay still. We will have you out of here in no time."

Bashir studied his tricorder closely. Crushed pelvis. Broken ribs. Collapsed lung. Most alarming to him, however, was her spinal cord injury. He couldn't tell how severe it was from the tricorder alone, but judging from her unnatural shape, it was probably serious.

The doctor closed the tricorder and looked up at Worf, who was still kneeling and looked rather worried. "Is there any other way out of here? She's not going back up the way we came in."

Worf looked around. He was not entirely familiar with the engineering department of the station and was unsure of what deck they were on.

"Constable Odo," Worf called. Once he saw Odo's face peering down from the hole, he began to speak again. "What is on the other side of this bulkhead?"

"The engine room," Odo called.

"Odo, we need a way out of here. Since the transporters are still offline, we need to get a stretcher in here. Any way we can get this bulkhead knocked out?" Bashir called. Odo thought for a moment and nodded.

"I don't see why not. I will call for a team to get down there," Odo called back, disappearing from the opening of the hole.

Dr. Bashir called to the infirmary for a medical team with a stretcher to wait in the engine room. Then he turned his attention back to the commander, who was still as a statue. His heart was racing. His palms were sweaty. He knew the situation was very serious.

"Commander," he started. "We're going to knock down this bulkhead to get out of here. Don't worry. It will just be a few more minutes." He reached into his medkit for a painkiller and injected the commander's neck with it. "There. Better?"

"A little," Rzepka replied. "The Chief is going to be so mad…."

"Why?" Bashir asked quickly.

"Because he'll have to rebuild this bulkhead," the commander replied, revealing a small smile.

"If he _is_ mad," Worf interjected. "_I_ will take care of that."

Bashir sat for a few more moments, wondering what took the engineers so long to get to that bulkhead. Rzepka's condition continued to deteriorate and he knew if they didn't get out of there soon, things would be much worse. He broke the silence with a very silly question.

"Commander Rzepka, did you know you were….. Bajoran?"

Rzepka let out a small laugh, followed quickly by a grimace in pain. "I did notice that. So did everyone else, thankfully."

Before Bashir could continue the conversation, he heard bulkhead saws going to work on the wall behind him. He knew in a few moments, they would be out.

Soon, Chief O'Brien's face appeared through a small opening in the wall. "Oh my God," he muttered, then got right back to work. Within a few more moments, the bulkhead was completely gone, the medics helped load Rzepka to a stretcher and they headed to the infirmary.

* * *

Chief O'Brien paced the promenade thoroughfare in front of the infirmary doors as he waited to hear the outcome of Lieutenant Commander Rzepka's condition. She had been serving as his first officer of engineering for the past several months. They had a close working relationship and he was worried.

_This is not how I wanted to spend my first day back…_ he thought to himself as he paced. He immediately felt a pang of guilt for his thoughts. He shook his head at his own selfishness as he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"You ok, Chief?"

He turned to face Major Kira standing behind him, her arms folded behind her back. O'Brien nodded.

"Just impatient. And worried," the chief replied. He rubbed his face with his hands, eventually running his hands through his hair.

"How is the Commander?" Kira asked, not really expecting a promising answer.

"I don't know," O'Brien replied, letting his worry and frustration inch through. "She's still in surgery. It's already been two hours."

"Do you want a pacing buddy?" Kira suggested. She had just spent an hour in the Bajoran shrine and her legs were a bit stiff. She was surprised to find the Chief pacing outside of the infirmary, even more surprised to hear the Commander was still in surgery. O'Brien looked at her, nodded, and they continued pacing.

It was late. Kira could tell by the way Quark was hurriedly wiping down the bar top with a rag. He seemed busy. She and the Chief continued to pace until Kira noticed Captain Sisko coming down the stairs from the upper level of the promenade. She grinned – she hoped all of their efforts were worth the reward.

"Evening Major, Chief. Any word on Commander Rzepka?" Captain Sisko asked. The Chief and Major stopped pacing for a moment to speak with the Captain.

"No, sir," O'Brien spoke first, shaking his head. "Been nearly three hours and my feet are getting tired. We're bound to hear something soon."

"How about I wait with you?" the captain suggested, motioning to the infirmary doors. Kira and O'Brien both nodded as the captain led the way to the infirmary's waiting area. They each took a chair and stared at each other for a few moments. The promenade was very quiet – quieter than Kira had heard in a long time – and most of the lights to the shops were already out.

"Major, have most of the promenade merchants stayed since the Dominion came to the station?" Captain Sisko casually asked. "I walked for a while, but I noticed some shops were closed."

"Some of the keepers went back to Bajor when the Dominion took over, but I'm sure they will be back once they find out that Starfleet is back," Kira replied. Her voice was quiet and tired. It had been a very long day and she estimated the time was close to 0100. She knew Sisko and O'Brien were both as tired as she was. Still, they all waited quietly, ignoring their exhaustion.

O'Brien's sudden sneeze startled Kira so badly, she jumped.

"Sorry, Major," O'Brien said, letting out a chuckle. Kira started laughing as she waved him off. Her giggles were nearly uncontrollable as she let out her nervous energy. Even Sisko started giggling, lifting the heavy cloud hanging above their heads.

With dramatic precision and amid their laughter, Bashir suddenly appeared in the doorway to the surgical suite. He pulled off his red cap as he emerged into the waiting room. Kira was first to see him, leaping up from her chair and immediately stifling her laughter. The men also stood, and the waiting room fell as silent as a stone. Bashir drew a breath and let it out slowly.

"I repaired the damage to her lung and stopped the internal bleeding. I've repaired the spinal fracture, but she will need additional surgery to repair her pelvis. She's stable," Bashir reported. Kira could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"Can I see her?" Kira immediately piped up. Bashir shook his head slowly.

"She needs to be kept quiet. She needs her rest."

"Please, Doctor. I owe it to her…. to tell her I've been praying. I got her into this mess. Please?" Kira pleaded. Bashir looked at her furrowed eyebrow framing wide misty eyes. He let down his guard and thought perhaps one visitor wouldn't hurt.

"Ok," he conceded with a sigh. "But only for a minute."

As Kira hurried off into the Intensive Care unit, Bashir turned his attention to the officers standing still in the waiting room. He wished he had something more to tell him. He had nothing but bad news and it killed him. Although he didn't know Commander Rzepka very well, he knew she was important to Chief O'Brien and to the station.

"How is she really, Julian?" O'Brien asked quietly. Bashir lifted his gaze to O'Brien's and surveyed the worry on his face. He knew O'Brien wanted to hear the truth.

"It's serious, Chief," Dr. Bashir started. "Extensive damage to her pelvis and complete perforation of the spinal cord. I don't know if she'll walk again."

Sisko closed his eyes as O'Brien placed his hand over his forehead. The news struck both of them like a ton of bricks. "Are you sure?" O'Brien squeaked out finally.

"No, I'm not completely sure. I need to get back in there and survey the damage for myself. At this juncture, I'm notifying her next of kin and going from there," Dr. Bashir concluded. "Not much more any of us can do tonight. Get some sleep. I'll report back tomorrow when I know more."

Both the captain and the chief nodded and left the infirmary waiting room, walking in opposite directions to their quarters. Dr. Bashir stood alone in his waiting room, feeling dejected and disappointed. He wanted to do more for her. He was becoming desperate to do more for her.

* * *

"The path to… what?!"

Dr. Bashir's clothes were bulky, a dark gray cloak draped over his shoulders and his boots heavy. He appeared very tired and moved slowly, as if his body was sore. He carried a large staff with a ball of cloth wrapped on the end, which he laid on the floor beside Commander Rzepka's hoverchair.

"Kal'Hyah. It's like… a Klingon Bachelor party," Dr. Bashir replied. He reached down and wrapped his arms around Rzepka's knees as another man, Bajoran nurse, gripped her torso under her armpits. They slowly lifted her out of the chair and placed her on a bio bed in the infirmary. "I apologize for looking ridiculous. It's important to Worf."

"A party, eh?" Rzepka mused. "Seems more like torture to me."

"Well," Bashir smiled, turning to a console. "You're right about that."

Three weeks had passed since the accident that rendered Lieutenant Commander Rzepka a paraplegic. She had been getting around the station in a hoverchair – a device necessary in place of a wheelchair in order to get past all of the raised thresholds and stairs on the station. Rzepka was hoping to be cleared for duty that afternoon.

Bashir began scanning Rzepka with his medical tricorder, examining the results carefully and concentrating his scan on her abdomen. Her pelvis was misaligned, but the healing process was moving faster than Bashir had anticipated. She would need an additional surgery to repair it, but Bashir decided to wait until the healing process was finished.

"What's the stick for?"

Bashir picked up his head suddenly when Commander Rzepka's voice startled him. "The stick? Oh! That's a ma'Staka. We're supposed to keep them with us at all times."

"And… that's it?" Rzepka's curiosity got the best of her.

"We are… supposed to attack Worf and Dax after the wedding with them," Bashir replied, looking back to his scan. "Are you having pain?"

The commander shook her head. "I haven't had pain all week."

"Good," Bashir replied. "Everything looks to be on track. I would suspect another two weeks and then I can realign your pelvis again. It's not causing problems now, but it might later."

"I understand," Rzepka replied, pushing herself up with her hands to sit up. Dr. Bashir placed his hand on her back to steady her, then motioned for the nurse to come help. Before the nurse got there, the commander pressed the looming question. "When can I go back to duty?"

Bashir looked at her with a blank face. Rzepka sensed concern and disappointment from the doctor. He pressed his lips together and shook his head.

"At least another three weeks. Maybe four. I want to get you through this next surgery before we start any kind of physical therapy. You'll need to get around completely on your own before I can clear you for duty."

Rzepka merely nodded as the men picked her up again and placed her back in the hoverchair. She activated the controls and the chair hummed to life, illuminating the carpet underneath with a soft blue light. She looked up at the ridiculously dressed doctor and shook her head and grinned.

"Thank you, doctor. Have fun with your…. stick….." She turned the hoverchair toward the door and floated out into the promenade.

Another month of sitting around, doing nothing. Another month of calling for help every time she had to go to the bathroom, get dressed or take a shower. She knew after the pelvis was fixed, she would be taught how to do these things on her own. Patience was no where to be found.

As she floated through the promenade toward the turbolift, she vowed to herself that she wasn't going to be stuck in the chair forever. She would walk again. She knew the doctor was already scheming ways to help her get up and around again. The war wasn't over, and now Kymberli Rzepka knew she had two wars to fight. The one with the Dominion and the one with herself. She intended to win them both.


End file.
